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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · wax · bound · rush · fine · stock · prune · hand

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bound — obliged
  4. hand — help
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wax — to grow
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — all right
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bound — certain
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. rush — hurry
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com